Barakatt has composed music for organisations ranging from the United Nations (he was behind the Unicef anthem Lullaby, composed in 2009) to FIFA (the music of the 2002 football World Cup included his composition, Eternity). His tunes, which often fuse elements of Western classical music, pop, electronic and orchestral compositions, have been played on the International Space Station.

An early adopter of technology as a creative tool, his sense of joy and inclusivity extend to artificial intelligence. “I don’t see AI as a threat... Maybe it will create a new style all its own,” he says.

Excerpts from an interview.

* Why Néoréalité? What is the new now reflected in these compositions?

I composed this album during the pandemic. I call it New Reality because it was about realising that, even while freedom is limited, we are free to create… a parallel world, with the power of our imagination.

Some of my productions, like the Unicef anthem, have involved as many as 150 musicians. Néoréalité has only one musician, that’s me. This is by far the most minimalist work of my musical journey, blending clarity, emotion and space. This is also my first solo album.

* How did your life become about music, at the age of four?

My father is of Lebanese origin, and everyone on his side plays an instrument or sings. In Lebanese culture, music is closely tied to joie de vivre (the joy of life). Every Sunday we would reunite, eating great Lebanese food and playing music. For me, it was not even a question of if I would play, it was just when I would play.

Of course, my family realised when I was four that I had perfect pitch. I could reproduce any tune I listened to, on the keyboard. My father (Andre Barakatt, a teacher) contacted classical music schools in my hometown. I actually learned to read music before I could read French. So, music became my first language. By the time I was 12, I was studying under a jazz tutor, which is halfway to improvising, which is the first step to composing. At 15, I began to compose.

* You’ve been very enthusiastic about computers, and now AI…

I was 15 years old when the MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) technology became available, which lets electronic instruments and computers communicate with each other.

I saved all my money to buy a computer. I started using it to help me compose music for commercials and films. Three decades later, I continue to believe in technology. I think it is an extension of us… because we create technology.

I don’t see AI as a threat. Music has a history that goes back thousands of years, and until about 100 years ago, the only way you could listen to it was live. When records became accessible, people could have thought all live music would disappear. But live music is still around and we still go to concerts. Even DJs fill up stadiums… partly because people want to be together. It’s not just about the artist and the audience. It’s also about (the chemistry of) the audience itself.

I truly believe it will be the same way with AI. Though maybe it will create a new style all its own. Who knows?

* Is your music different, in any way, because of things like social media and shortened attention spans?

I believe in the evolution of the times. That’s why, when I wrote my symphony, Ad Vitam Aeternam, which means For Eternal Life, I wrote it in shorter movements.

Like it or not, we live in a different era. It used to take weeks to travel between continents; it used to take years to recreate a set of books.

People also work longer hours. They don’t have that much leisure time anymore.

So yes, I adjusted the form of the symphony, by creating 16 shorter movements.

* And music designed for this era does inspire…

Yes. I worked on that symphony for more than a year. It starts with the idea of the origin of life, and as it goes through the phases of human experience, the emotions become more dramatic.

I will always remember the first rehearsal. Until then, what I had created was alone in my head. When the conductor started the first part, and 80 musicians together began to play it, it felt surreal. Every note they played came from everything they had experienced and learnt over years. When you create music, and it is played like this, it’s like you suddenly have a family playing it with you.

When I performed this symphony in Russia with a huge barrier of language and culture, again it was special. As soon as the music started, we shared a larger meaning across borders.

* Who are your favourite musicians?

I love the music of the late jazz master Bill Evans. Mozart is probably my favourite composer, because there are times when you can make out he was crazily happy. He was a positive person, which I am too.

I am a big fan of Bruno Mars. He has a lot of musicality and is a brilliant melodist with fantastic production quality. I think he is probably one of the best musicians in the pop world at the moment.